CODEBOOK / DATA DICTIONARY
HIV/AIDS in Latin America: Country-Level Epidemiological Data 2000-2020 (5-Year Intervals)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/IRMDUB
Author: de la Serna, Juan Moises (International University of La Rioja)
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8401-8018
Deposit Date: 2026-03-01
License: CC0 1.0 (Public Domain Dedication)

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DATASET OVERVIEW
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This dataset compiles key HIV/AIDS epidemiological indicators for 18 Latin American
countries at five-year intervals from 2000 to 2020.

Observations: 90 rows (18 countries x 5 time points)
Variables: 9 core variables
Time coverage: 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020
Geographic coverage: Latin America (18 countries)
Data source: World Bank Development Indicators, based on UNAIDS estimates

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COUNTRIES INCLUDED
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Argentina (ARG), Bolivia (BOL), Brazil (BRA), Chile (CHL), Colombia (COL),
Costa Rica (CRI), Dominican Republic (DOM), Ecuador (ECU), El Salvador (SLV),
Guatemala (GTM), Honduras (HND), Mexico (MEX), Nicaragua (NIC), Panama (PAN),
Paraguay (PRY), Peru (PER), Uruguay (URY), Venezuela (VEN)

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VARIABLE DESCRIPTIONS
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Variable 1: Country
  Label: Country name
  Type: String (character)
  Description: Full name of the Latin American country
  Values: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica,
          Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
          Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
  Missing values: None expected

Variable 2: ISO_Code
  Label: ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code
  Type: String (character)
  Description: Three-letter country code per ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 standard
  Values: ARG, BOL, BRA, CHL, COL, CRI, DOM, ECU, SLV, GTM, HND, MEX,
          NIC, PAN, PRY, PER, URY, VEN
  Missing values: None expected

Variable 3: Region
  Label: Geographic sub-region within Latin America
  Type: String (character)
  Description: Sub-regional classification of the country
  Values: South America, Central America, Caribbean, North America (Mexico)
  Missing values: None expected

Variable 4: Year
  Label: Reference year
  Type: Numeric (integer)
  Description: Calendar year of the observation
  Values: 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020
  Missing values: None expected

Variable 5: PLHIV
  Label: People Living with HIV (total count)
  Type: Numeric (integer)
  Description: Estimated total number of people (all ages) living with HIV
               in the country during the reference year.
  Unit: Number of persons
  Source: UNAIDS estimates via World Bank (indicator: SH.HIV.TOTL)
  Missing values: NA when data are not available or suppressed.

Variable 6: New_Infections
  Label: New HIV Infections per year (estimated count)
  Type: Numeric (integer)
  Description: Estimated number of new HIV infections occurring during the year.
  Unit: Number of new infections per year
  Source: UNAIDS estimates via World Bank Development Indicators
  Missing values: NA when data are not available.

Variable 7: Incidence_Rate
  Label: HIV Incidence Rate per 1,000 uninfected adults aged 15-49
  Type: Numeric (float)
  Description: Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected individuals
               aged 15-49 years. Key indicator of HIV transmission risk.
  Unit: New infections per 1,000 uninfected population aged 15-49
  Source: UNAIDS via World Bank (indicator: SH.HIV.INCD.ZS)
  Missing values: NA when not available or population too small for estimation.

Variable 8: ART_Coverage
  Label: Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Coverage (%)
  Type: Numeric (float)
  Description: Percentage of PLHIV currently receiving antiretroviral therapy.
               Reflects the scale-up of HIV treatment programs over time.
  Unit: Percentage (%) of PLHIV receiving ART
  Range: 0-100 (may exceed 100 due to discrepancies in PLHIV estimates)
  Source: UNAIDS via World Bank (indicator: SH.HIV.ARTC.ZS)
  Missing values: NA when not available (common for years 2000 and 2005).

Variable 9: AIDS_Deaths
  Label: AIDS-related Deaths per 1,000 population
  Type: Numeric (float)
  Description: Estimated number of deaths attributable to AIDS-related causes
               per 1,000 total population. Includes adult and child deaths.
  Unit: Deaths per 1,000 total population
  Source: UNAIDS via World Bank (indicator: SH.HIV.MORT)
  Missing values: NA when not available or suppressed.

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NOTES ON DATA QUALITY AND INTERPRETATION
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1. All values are modeled estimates from UNAIDS mathematical models and may
   carry uncertainty ranges not reflected in this dataset.

2. Missing data (NA) may result from:
   - Small epidemic size (data suppressed to avoid unreliable estimates)
   - Absence of national surveys or sentinel surveillance systems
   - Country-level reporting gaps to WHO/UNAIDS

3. ART coverage may exceed 100% due to discrepancies between UNAIDS-estimated
   PLHIV and national program-reported treatment numbers.

4. Cross-country comparisons should account for differences in surveillance
   capacity, healthcare infrastructure, and epidemic stage.

5. This dataset is intended for epidemiological analysis only and is NOT
   intended for clinical decision-making.

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DATA SOURCES
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World Bank Development Indicators:
  https://databank.worldbank.org/source/world-development-indicators

UNAIDS Global HIV & AIDS statistics:
  https://aidsinfo.unaids.org/

World Bank indicator codes used:
  SH.HIV.TOTL    - People living with HIV, total
  SH.HIV.INCD.ZS - Incidence of HIV (per 1,000 uninfected population, 15-49)
  SH.HIV.ARTC.ZS - Antiretroviral therapy coverage (% of PLHIV)
  SH.HIV.MORT    - AIDS-related deaths (per 1,000 population)

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SUGGESTED CITATION
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de la Serna, Juan Moises, 2026, "HIV/AIDS in Latin America: Country-Level
Epidemiological Data 2000-2020 (5-Year Intervals)",
https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/IRMDUB, Harvard Dataverse, DRAFT VERSION.

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END OF CODEBOOK
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